Eriophyes gallitor Flechtmann & Etienne, 2005, n.sp.

Eriophyes gallitor n.sp. Fig. 4

Diagnosis — Prodorsal shield lines represented by lines of granules; median line short, restricted to middle one third of shield; admedian and submedian lines extending over anterior two thirds of shield length. Epigynum with longitudinal, strong lines.

Female (n = 6)­Body elongate, vermiform, 224 (171–224), 45 (45–48) wide. Gnathosoma: antapical seta 5 (5–7); basal seta 4 (3–4); chelicera 12 (11–13). Prodorsal shield 26 (23–26), 37 (36–39) wide; frontal lobe small, rounded. Shield design consisting of lines of granules: short median line, on mid one third; admedian and submedian lines on anterior two thirds of shield. Laterally and posteriorly with scattered granules. Shield tubercles 15 (13–15) apart, directing scapular setae forwards; seta (sc) 14 (14–15). Legs: leg I 23 (21–23); femur 7 (5–7), femoral seta (bv) 4 (4–6); genu 4 (3–4), genual seta (l") 14 (14–18); tibia 3 (3), tibial seta (l') 3 (3–5); tarsus 4 (4–5), dorsal seta (ft') 7 (7–10), lateral seta (ft") 15 (14–16), unguinal seta (u') 3 (3–4), solenidion slightly knobbed, 5 (5–7), empodium 5 (5–6), 5­rayed. Leg II 20 (17–20); femur 6 (6–7), bv 5 (5–7); genu 3 (3), l” 6 (6–8); tibia 3 (3); tarsus 4 (4), ft' 5 (5–7), ft" 14 (14–19), u' 3 (3), solenidion 7 (7–8), empodium 5 (5–6), 5­rayed. Coxigenital area: coxae smooth; coxal seta I (1b) 9 (6–11), 7 (7–9) apart; coxal seta II (1a) 16 (14–18), 6 (6) apart; coxal seta III (2a) 27 (25–28), 18 (16–19) apart. Coxisternal area with 4 (4–5) transverse lines of microtubercles. Genitalia 18 (17–18) wide, 10 (8–11) long; genital seta (3a) 7 (6–7). Epigynum with 14 (12–14) longitudinal ribs. Opisthosoma: lateral seta (c2) 17 (15–18), on annulus 2 (2–4) from genitalia rear margin; ventral seta I (d) 22 (21–25), 31(27–31) apart, on annulus 14 (13– 19); ventral seta II (e) 18 (14–18), 16 (14–17) apart, on annulus 34 (28–34); ventral seta III (f) 19 (18–20), 18 (16–19) apart, on annulus 63 (51–63) or 6th from rear. Total ventral annuli 69 (56–69), with small beadlike microtubercles; total dorsal annuli 87 (73–87), microtuberculate, microtubercles fading on 8 (8) caudal annuli.Caudal seta (h2) 57 (53– 57); accessory seta (h1) 7 (6–8).

Male — not seen.

Type material — female holotype, 47 female paratypes, from Sideroxylon obovatum (Lam.), Sapotaceae, Sainte Anne, La Toubana, Guadeloupe, 03 Oct. 2003, coll. J. Etienne, on 10 microscopic preparations.

Relation to host — gives origin to galls on leaves.

Etymology — The specific designation gallitor is derived from the Latin galla, gall, plus the Greek suffix ­tor, meaning agent, doer, that is, a gall maker.

Remarks — E. gallitor n.sp. is close to E. emphlopei Meyer & Ueckermann, 1989, a gall forming species on Sideroxylon inerme L. from South Africa, differing in the ribbed epigynum (unornamented in E. emphlopei), smooth coxae (with dash­like markings in E. emphlopei)) and in the much larger number of opisthosomal annuli (50–60 in E. emphlopei and 73–87 in the n.sp.).